Variable-speed-driving mechanism for condensers



Dec. 30, 1924.

W. T. PUTNAM VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR GONDENSERS Filed June 28, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnvenror. Walter T. PuTnom Aflys.

Dec. 3 9 1,521,318

W.'T. PUTNAM VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISMTOR CONDENSERS Filed June 28, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor.

Walter T; Purnum b MMAi W Aflys.

Dec. 30, 1924.. 1,521,318

w. T. PUTNAM VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR CONDENSERS Filed June 28, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 i l lnvenior. Wcxher T. Pumom Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER '1. PUTNAM, OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DAVIS &

FURBER MACHINE COMPANY, OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

VARIABLE-SPEED-DRIVING MECHANISM FOR CONDENSERS.

Application filed June 28, 1924. Serial No. 723,063.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALTER T. PUTNAM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of North Andover, county of Essex. State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Variable-Speed-Driving Mechanism for Condensers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to the driving mechanism of a condenser preferably of the apron type which is employed for condensing the stock dofi'cd from a carding machine into roving;

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for readily effecting such variation in the speed of the driving mechanism as is necessary to accommodate the machine for handling a wide range in the grades of material.

The nature and objects of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying specification and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation chiefly in diagrammatic form of a portion of a carding machine and apron condenser illustrating a preferred form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail in front elevation of a portion of the condenser showing the driven pulley and gearing immediately connected therewith.

Fig. 3 is aside elevation of a slightly different form of condenser illustrating a slightly dift'erentform of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a detail in central vertical cross section taken through the stub shaft of,

Fig. 2. v

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic View showing the driving and driven pulleys in reversed arrangement to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail illustrating a different arrangement of the interchangeable gearing from that shown in Fig. 1.

The present invention being concerned only with the driving mechanism, and the carding machine and the condenser and their respective operations being well known and familiar to those skilled in the art, it is only necessary here to illustrate and describe a carding machine and condenser sufticiently to disclose the arrangement and operation of the driving mechanism.

The carding machine is shown at one end of a main frame 1 and the condenser at the other end. It is sufficient to indicate the main shaft 2 of the carding machine, the carding cylinder 8, the shafts 4 and 5 for the upper and lower dofier rings and the gears 7 and 8 respectively by which these doffer rlngs are driven.

The condenser is shown as of the double apron type and adapted for use in connection with the two doffer system. The frame 9 of the condenser is mounted on the main frame 1 and is provided with the usual sets of shafts, aprons, rolls and gears. As illus trated in Fig. 1 an intermediate gear 10 on the shaft 11 drives through intermediate gearing both the upper and the lower sets of aprons, the upper aprons being shown at 12 and the lower aprons at 13. The same intermediate gear also through systems of gearing drives the gears 14 and 15 respectively which in turn drive the doifer ring gears 7 and 8. The system of gearing between the intermediate gear and the aprons and between the intermediate gear and the doffer ring gears 7 and 8 may be, and is illustrated as, of a familiar type including bolts 17 and 18 to the face of the condenser frame 9 at the front thereof. This bracket presents at the side and separated from the frame a plate 19 in which is formed an are shaped slot 20 having its center of curvature located at the axis ofthe main shaft 2. A stub shaft 21 is adjustably mounted in the slot 20 so that in all positions of its adjust-- ment it is at the same radial distance from the shaft 2. This stub shaft 21 is shown'as provided with a collar 22 abutting the face of the bracket plate 19 and with a reduced threaded portion 23. A washer 24 on. the threaded portion abuts the opposite faceof the bracket plate 20 and a nut 25 on the threaded portion serves to lock the stub shaft in adjusted position, the bracket plate 20 being clamped between the collar 22and the washer 24-. I

A driving pulley 26 is mounted on the main shaft 2 of the carding; machine and a. drivenpulley 27 is jo-urnaled onthe stubshaft 21 of the condenser and the latter pulley isdrivenfrom: the former-by anend-- lessrfiexible: connector. 28. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 the pulleys are shown as having a flat face 29 and the endless flexible. connectorz28 is. shown. in.

such; for example; as sprocl'ret wheels and a sprocket-chainmayhe"employedi Mbvement i transmitted from the: driven pulley 27 to the intermediate gear rthroughone ofa. plurality ofinterchangeable. gears connected? to the pulley; 27" and: in mesh with the intermediate gear 10. Any; suit-' able means may be employed.for'removahly and axially connecting the interchangeablev gear with the pulley. Asillustrat'cdiin detail in Fig: ithe pulley 27; is splined at 30"- topi'tshub 3'1 which'fis directiytjournaledon. the stub shaft-21; This hub at.

the endtowa rd the condenser frame has a. reduced"p'ort1'on 32 and onthis" reducedportion is mounted one of the interchangeablev gears 33". apertures in the hub and gear connect'the pulley and gear" together. A collar- 35' is: clamped by a...set.screw 36' to the outer end of'the stub shaft 21' andthus holds the pulley tween this collar and the collar22; A l'l1bIi-= catingcup 37is shown iii-the collar 35 and] serves; to distribute lubricant to. the; stub.

There may be as many interchangeable.

gears are desired; They difier only in;

substitutedfor another by removing the collar 35 and. the pulley 27.v lVhen .an in,- terchangeable gear has been put in place and" connected tothe; pulley 27011 the stub;

shaft"21, .this stub'sh'aft is then adjustedin the are shapedfsl'ot 2O'to bring the teeth of the interchangeable gear into. proper cooperative relation. with the intermediate gear 10. butas this; are shaped slot 20 has its center of curvature at the axis of theshaft' 2 no-change is necessary in the length, of the endlessflexible connector 28. a V

A still further ra ge of.jad"ustmentis provided by having the pulleys 26] and 27 {of different diameters and providingmeans for ermitting the transposition of these pulleys. lhat is to say, pulleys 26 and 27 aremade with similar hubs so that" either may be put on either the shaft" 2 or the stub shaft 211. In Fig. 1 the pulley 26 is shown as o'f'l'arger andi'interchangeable gear 'in placebediameter than the pulley 27 and in Fig. 5 these pulleys are shown intransposed position;

I-n'Fig. 1 one ofthe. interchangeable gears V 33 is illustrated and in: Fig. 6. a smaller in; terchangeable gear38 -is-shown meshing-wlth the intermediategear lO-and asr-itis smaller than the gear 33 the stub shaft 21 is shown aldj usted: to-a lowerpositionimthe are shaped s 0t 20.

InFi Ja the'd-riven pulley 39 is shownin;

the form of a spocket wheel. The intermediate gear 41 corresponding to-the'inten mediate gear-10 isshown as connected 'by-a" sprocket wheelandsprocket chain oonnec tion' 42 to; asmall auxiliary intermediate gear-48 from which connection is madeto the systemsof 'gear'ing driving the upper and lower aprons. This arrangement is necessary when, as intheolderty-pes of apron-condensers, thesets-of apronsare'locatedgcloser together so that the). driving connection cannot be made directly. through a single; in;-; termediate gear;

Various changes in the: constructionand arrangement of thisvariablespeed driving mechanism may be made within the pur-- poses and scope of the. invention whichwis thus illustrated in simple and preferred Pins; 34 enteringaligned?v forms.

spectivelythe speed ofthe doffer rings may be varied from abo-ut'ten; to twelve andv seven eighths revolutions and by 'having the 'dniyen and driving pulleys such as'26 and 27*"of twenty one and eighteen inches diameter and 'by' transposing; these pulleys, additional speeds may be obtained from abouttwelve andiseveneighths to sixteenrevolutions With this type ofcondenser a" range from' ten to sixteen revoliitions for the doffer rings takes care of all grades .of' material running from a poor quality to a high grade; Withim this;var-iation the four. interchangeable gears and'ithe transposition ofthe two pull'eys enables eight different speeds to behad-th'us coveringin avery satisfactory manner the entire range. of material from a poor tofa high grade. The interchanging of the in} terchangeahle gears and the transposition: of the pulleys are readily and quickly effected. without requiring any adjustment the syst'e'msof' gearing driven by the inter.- inediate gear.

Having thus described the invention;

whatnis el'aimed'gas new; and "desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is 2' 1'. A" variable speed: drivingfinechanism for driving a.v condenser from carding mae chinecomprisinga main gear ourrialedfloir the condenser for transmitting the move or change in the fieXi-ble' connector orrin' ment to the condenser apron driving mechanism, a driving pulley journaled on the carding machine, a driven pulley journaled on the condenser, an endless flexible connector surrounding the two pulleys and acting to drive the one from the other, a plurality of interchangeable gears of different diameters, means for removably and axially connecting either of said interchangeable gears and said driven pulley, and means for adjusting the axis of the driven pulley along an are having its center at the axis of the driving pulley to permit the intermeshing of either interchangeable gear with the main gear without varying the length of the flexible connector.

2. A variable speed driving mechanism for driving a condenser from a carding machine having the construction defined in claim 1 in which the driven and driving pulleys are of dillerent diameters and in which means are provided for permitting the transposition of the said pulleys further to vary the speed.

3. A variable speed driving mechanism for driving a condenser from a carding machine comprising a main gear journaled on the condenser for transmitting the movement tothe condenser apron driving mechanism, a driving pulley journaled on the carding machine, a stub shaft mounted on the condenser, a driven pulley journaled on the stub shaft, an endless flexible connector surrounding the two pulleys and acting to drive the one from the other, a plurality of interchangeable gears of different diameters, means for removably and axially connecting either of said interchangeable gears and said driven pulley, and means for adjusting the stub shaft along an are having its center at the axis of the driving pulley to permit the intermeshing of either interchangeable gear with the main gear without varying the length of the endless flexible connector.

4. A variable speed driving mechanism for driving a condenser from a carding machine comprising a main gear journaled on the condenser for transmitting the movement to the condenser apron driving mechanism, a driving pulley journaled on the carding machine, a supporting bracket on the condenser provided with an are shaped slot having its center at the axis of the driving pulley, a stub shaft adjustably mounted in the slot of the said bracket, a driven pulley journaled on the stub shaft, an endless flexible connector surrounding the two pulleys and acting to drive the one from the other, a. plurality of interchangeable gears of difierent diameters, and means for removably and axially connecting either of said interchangeable gears and said driven pulley whereby either interchangeable gear may be made to intermesh with the main gear. without varying the length of the endless flexible connector, by adjusting the stub shaft in the said slot of the bracket.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER T. PUTNAM. 

